In This Moment
by selene2selene
Summary: Completely AU. Set right before 6th year is to begin. Events in HBP haven't occurred and should be disregarded.


It was almost time, you could feel it in the air. The world was making one last attempt at summer. The golden sunshine broke through the canopy of leaves above him and created a soft glow in the surrounding glen. This was his favorite time of year: the air still warm and the leaves just starting to turn russet and gold. The lure of Hogwarts and magic after a summer without it was irresistible.

The sound of beating wings broke into his musing. A tawny owl landed on a branch a foot above his head. He stopped lazily flicking his wand, not quite daring enough to speak aloud the incantation that went with the movement. He knew that it was time to go back to the house and face his mother. He had only come out here to delay the inevitable. He wasn't ready to assume the role that was assigned to him again.

The owl hooted impatiently and hopped closer, thrusting the scroll it held out at him. He sighed as he removed the missive from its pouch. He would gain nothing from avoiding the situation; there was nothing he could do but go along with his mother's plans.

He could feel the tension returning the closer he came to his mother's study. He took a deep, calming breath and prepared himself for the worst as he opened the door.

"You wanted to see me, mother?"

The room was dimly lit and the candlelight threw the faint lines in his mother's face into relief. Blaise made his way across the plush Oriental carpet and waited till his mother motioned for him to be seated. Every year it was the same ritual and he knew what was coming next.

The pattern had been established when he went away to Hogwarts for his first year. His mother had made it perfectly clear what was expected of him before he was allowed to go off to school.

His mother never backed the wrong team.

Managing a large estate took all of his mother's energy, effort and what was left of her childhood. She grew up fast in a social climate that actively hated her and managed to succeed, if not thrive. Finally gaining a semblance of respectability, the Zabinis were almost restored to their pre-Voldemort-era glory by the time Blaise's Hogwarts letter arrived.

Blaise had grown up sheltered from most of the pureblood innate feeling of superiority and had been quietly shocked by the crass way that his fellow Slytherins acted. Knowing what he did now Blaise realized that his mother had never really regained any status in the elite pureblood circles that Draco and Pansy's parents frequented; she was tolerated, but only just barely, for her financial and political backing.

Their family name and reputation was a very tenuous thing in the wizarding community. Blaise's task was to gain the trust of his fellow Slytherins while not offending his peers in the other houses. It was a very fine line to walk.

His mother cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable. "I took the liberty of owling your Head of House." She held up her hand to forestall any comments. "Professor Snape was gracious enough to comply with my request that you be paired with Draco Malfoy in Potions this year."

"But..."

She raised her hand again and shot Blaise a look that did not bode well for him if he chose to interrupt again. Her tone was more forceful as she continued, "As you well know, this year is going to be a trying one for you, both mentally and socially. With N.E.W.T.s looming in the future, I expect you to stay in the top ranks of your classes. If you can manage to beat Hermione Granger this year I would be most pleased."

The emphasis placed on Hermione's name caused warning bells to go off in Blaise's head. iWhat does she know? I swear that she knows Legilimency./i Blaise clamped down on his panic and retained his well-practiced neutral expression. There was no way that his mother had found out about the attraction to Hermione that he had nursed all last year. He hadn't told anyone, and he was sure that he'd never been caught looking in her direction.

"I'll try, mother, but with all the extracurricular activities you want me to join, I'm not sure how easy that will be."

"Hmmmm..." His mother looked deep in thought. "Well, no matter. You have always been in the top third of your class – keep it that way!" She reached for the piece of parchment in front of her. Blaise wondered how his mother could even read anything in the gloom of her study. A minute ticked by, and then another, before his mother snatched up a quill and added a note to the bottom of the parchment before tossing it to Blaise.

He squinted at the list in front of him for a few seconds before bringing it up close to his face in a show for his mother's benefit.

His mother ground out a soft, "Lumos," and light bathed the room. Blaise's mouth almost dropped open as he scanned the list. In previous years it had contained only a few people; mostly children from Slytherin, since his mother dealt mostly with purebloods in her business. His mother wanted him to be as well liked as possible within Slytherin and to blend into the background as far as the other houses were concerned.

Now, with Voldemort's return, the situation had become unstable again. There were people in both factions that kept a careful eye on the comings and goings of the Zabinis. The Death Eaters would never forget the fact that his mother had turned away from the Dark Lord, and Voldemort's opposition remembered that she was only one generation away from a Death Eater herself.

"As I was saying," his mother continued, " I know that this year is going to be a difficult one. If I had my way, you would have had an easier childhood. I am sorry that this has been thrust upon you, but I must ask: what are your feelings about You-Know-Who and his doctrines?"

Seeing Blaise's uncertainty, she reassured him, "Don't worry; this study had been warded and then warded again. It would take a team of cursebreakers a month to get in here." She sat back and watched Blaise expectantly.

Blaise wasn't sure what his mother expected from him to say, so he tried to organize his thoughts into some semblance of order. Debating with his mother had made him usually quick with a comeback but this question had really thrown him for a loop.

"You want my honest opinion?"

"No I want you to lie about something this important, boy! Yes! I want complete honesty."

Blaise's brows drew together in irritation, but he gave no other sign of his annoyance at the comment. "Well, since I am to be completely honest, I can tell you that I hope that someone stops He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I find the whole idea of licking You-Know-Who's bootlaces repulsive."

He paused and drew a deep breath before continuing. "Sometimes, I imagine myself doing something to help, but I'm too afraid of disappointing you and turning my few real friends against me." His voice shook with emotion. "So I hate having to pretend to be someone I am not, to have to report back to you any gossip I hear, I hate the rotten Sorting Hat for placing me in Slytherin in the first place... and I hate Voldemort." On the last word Blaise's eyes went round as he heard what he'd said, but his mouth set in a mutinous line; there was no way that he was going to apologize for saying the dreaded name aloud.

His mother sat back in her chair, obviously mulling over what Blaise had said. Apparently coming to some decision, she raised her hand in a beckoning motion.

His step-father slipped out of the deep shadows, his eyes bright and glistening. He stood behind his mother, placing his hand on her shoulder. The gesture was not lost on Blaise: whatever decision his mother had come to, his step-father was behind it one hundred percent.

"Blaise," he said, "I know that you realize what is at stake here. Not just our family, but the whole structure of the wizarding world will fall into chaos. Your mother and I have been dreading the day that he returned. If the rumors surrounding that incident with the Goblet of Fire are only partly true, we already have a serious problem. Your mother has something that could be of great importance in winning this upcoming war."

"This is one legacy from my father that I was happy to inherit." Blaise's mother gestured to the piles of parchment that littered her desk. "This is what is left of a most powerful ancient grimoire."

Blaise's eyes narrowed in thought. From what he could see, the papers in front of him were covered in some sort of archaic writing. "What do you have there?"

His mother's face broke into a rare, true smile. "You finally understand what I have been so cautious about. I have here an ancient form of protection bonding. From what I have been able to translate, it was a precursor to the wedding bond, but one that offers a imuch/i stronger form of protection. My research leads me to believe that members of ancient covens took the bond to reduce the amount of damage physical and magical attacks cause."

"Why wouldn't every wizard be sporting a nice, shiny mark, then?"

"The wording of these documents suggests that this was a heavily guarded secret, passed down from father to eldest son."

Blaise's step-father broke in. "I have been researching and found that all mention of this spell abruptly stopped in the 1600's or so when the first of the Goblin Rebellions began." he continued, "The wizarding resources that I have are few and far between, since that was such a dark time in our history. From what I have been able to piece together, most wizards and witches wouldn't take the mark for fear that it would reveal them to the goblins. The mark was the easiest way for the goblins to distinguish them from Muggles. I believe that this is the main reason that the spell was forgotten and never passed on."

"If only our forefathers relied less on oral tradition..." She shook her head in disgust. "Think of all the power that we have lost. But we have a small piece here." She trailed her finger across the desktop, not actually touching the fragile parchment.

"Blaise, I have finally finished translating these documents, and this mark is permanent. I have all the components necessary for completing the spell before me. I want you to have the extra protection this spell provides but I want you to be aware that the mark cannot be undone. Our endurance will be heightened, but that is not necessarily a good thing."

Blaise shivered as he recalled the black period of the Goblin Rebellion. Some witches and wizards had tortured for hours upon hours by the goblins. But in the upcoming war the ability to withstand more than your enemies in battle could be crucial. It might stop the war before it even had a chance to get started. For once, he realized he had the chance to do something that wasn't only for his benefit. It felt good.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

His mother and step-father smiled.

center

~*~*~*~

/center

This year was going horribly so far. Sitting in the back of the classroom was the first of his mistakes. Usually from this vantage point he was able to watch Hermione covertly as she took notes; but Professor Snape, true to his word, paired him with Draco. The two of them drew black looks from Hermione and Neville, who were seated diagonally across from them. Draco wasted no time in antagonizing Hermione.

"Well where has king Weasel run off to this time? Snogging with the idiot Brown again?"

Blaise sighed. One would think that Draco would tire of his baiting, but he'd been relentless over the past few weeks. It drew Hermione's attention in Blaise's direction, but not remotely the type of attention he was hoping for. He saw her eyes widen for a second, and then narrow, and he almost groaned aloud, realizing that the two of them were about to go at it again. He watched the flush spread across her face. Her eyes were sparkling with anger, making Blaise appreciate how tempting it could be to rile her up. It always amazed him, how easily she jumped into these squabbles with Draco, considering her intelligence.

"I'm not his keeper. Though you might want to keep a shorter leash on that pug of yours. I hear she's been sniffing around Hufflepuff territory."

Blaise cringed inwardly, feeling Draco stiffen next to him. He knew that taunting Draco on that subject was just inviting trouble. Their housemates ribbed him about Pansy constantly. Hermione couldn't have picked a worse subject. Neville appeared to be doing his best to pretend that none of this was happening. The look on Hermione's face changed from indignant to smug and in that moment, Blaise knew that this wasn't going to end well. He saw a look of quickly-restrained fury cross Draco's face and knew that he was a hair's breadth from drawing his wand on her.

Just then, Snape swept through the aisle and peered down at the Gryffindor table. "You call that mincing, Longbottom? An infant has more coordination than you." Neville blanched and his nerveless fingers dropped the knife he was using to cut the herb.

Snape turned to look at their potion. Seeing that it was the correct hue and consistency for the stage that it was in, and having no obvious reason to berate Hermione, he turned back to Neville and ground out, "I advise you not to add that, in its current state, to your potion. Hopefully, you will gain the necessary fine motor skills a boy your age should possess, and you will actually mince that sneezeweed. Should you fail to get it right, you will not care for the results." Without another glance he moved on to his next victim.

Draco leaned back in his chair wearing his usual smirk and Blaise relaxed, sensing that the storm had blown over for the moment. If he could keep Draco's attention focused on their potion, they might make it through a class without a major blowout.

"Could you pass me the mortar and pestle? I have to grind the cloves to put in after your sneezeweed..." Blaise hoped that his not-so-subtle reminder to work on their own potion would go over well. Trying to calm Draco down was always an exhausting task.

Draco turned and gave him a haughty look before laughing, "Some of us at Hogwarts can brew rudimentary potions like this one in their sleep. Too bad Longbottom was too busy wiping the drool off his parents' faces to learn something useful."

Draco's voice had risen with every word. One glance over at the other table confirmed that they had overheard him. Neville had risen and almost upset the cauldron in his haste to draw his wand. His face set and pale, he blurted out, "You are a horrible person, M-malfoy!" His voice shook with anger and Draco had fell silent, faced with the possibility of being hexed by the boy.

Hermione leaned protectively over the potion and tried to steady its wildly swirling contents. Snape noticed the commotion and swooped down upon them.

"What are you doing with your wand drawn in my classroom, Longbottom? One hundred points from Gryffindor for utter stupidity of trying something like that in my class. I think that it would be wise for you to remove yourself from my presence and not return until you have grown the half of a brain that you should have been born with!"

Neville's face remained resolute as he slowly put away his wand and gathered his books as if they were the most precious things he owned. He paused for a second to mutter, "Sorry, Hermione," and left with his head high.

Hermione shot them a black look but didn't dare say anything more with Professor Snape standing there.

"I trust that I can continue with my class with no other interruptions?" His black eyes bored into Hermione alone.

She lowered her head so they couldn't see her face as she answered, "Yes, Professor Snape."

"I suggest that you get back to work on your potion. You will still be required to finish it without Longbottom's dubious help."

Draco snickered and for a second Hermione looked like she wanted to dive over the table and pummel him. However, the idea must have lacked appeal compared to the points that she would lose over it, because she snatched up the knife and started to vigorously mince the sneezeweed.

Blaise discovered that they were short on cloves, and asked Draco to get some more out of the supply cabinet. Surprisingly, Draco stood up with none of his usual complaints. It wasn't until Blaise saw him stop for a second by Hermione's table and wave of his arm over the cauldron that he started to wonder if that went too easily.

Hermione looked up, saw him standing there, and said something. It must have been particularly nasty, judging by the look on Draco's face. All he could overhear from the whispered conversation that followed was the typical "Mudblood" from Malfoy.

Draco returned to their table with an evil glint in his eye, positioning himself so he could see her table. Blaise arched a brow at him in silent question and waited.

"Let's see how the Mudblood likes some extra sneezeweed added to her cauldron."

Blaise looked down at their table, where the pile of sneezeweed had been lying only moments before.

"You didn't..."

"Oh I did, and it's going to be glorious!"

"You complete wanker!" Draco's jaw fell open in surprise at receiving an insult instead of praise. "Do you have any idea what that could do to the potion? We could all be blown sky high!"

Draco rolled his eyes and slouched lower in his seat. "There's only a small chance for that type of volatile reaction. By my calculations, the worst that can happen is she'll be knocked a row back. Hopefully it will straighten out that rat's nest she calls hair." He laughed at his own joke.

Blaise had to risk saying something to Hermione when he saw her lift a pile of sneezeweed to add to her cauldron.

"Her -Granger, stop!"

She paused for a moment before sniffing haughtily, dropping the sneezeweed into her cauldron. She picked up her wooden spoon and started to stir in the prescribed counterclockwise motion. Draco laughed even harder. Hermione just stood there, back stiff, shooting evil looks at their table.

Blaise watched for signs of the potion going bad. It didn't take long before pale green smoke began to pour over the rim of the cauldron. Draco clutched his sides trying to contain his laughter.

Blaise tried again. "Granger, there is something wrong with your potion," he said, sparing a glance at Draco, who now looked furious. "I think that Longbottom diced instead of minced..."

As soon as the words left words left his lips, he knew that he had chosen the absolute worst tact to take. The look that she normally reserved for Draco was focused directly on him. Panicking, he continued, "Just look at it!"

Hermione didn't bother to glance at the potion. "Why don't you and the ferret spend some time worrying about your own potion and just leave me alone!"

"Granger..."

"Oh, why don't you just sod off, Zabini!" She turned back to her table and started to gather the ingredients for the next step.

Blaise saw the smoke intensify, along with the look of eager anticipation in Draco's eyes, and felt a sense of desperation take hold. i My mother is going to kill me!/i He moved swiftly over to the other table, grabbed Hermione by the waist and pulled her behind him. Her startled gasp, followed by an outraged shriek, gained the attention of the entire classroom. Snape looked over at the table and began crossing the classroom toward them. Blaise drew his wand and racked his brain for an appropriate containment spell. Grasping at the first one that came to mind, he whispered, "Tentum maximus."

A small bubble formed over the cauldron and its roiling contents. Draco's outraged, "Hey!" was almost lost in the stir that Hermione was making. Her small fists pounded on his back.

"What do you think you're doing? Leave my potion alone!"

He could see the potion was now frothing and inside the containment spell the smoke swirled alarmingly. He shoved Hermione further behind him and hoped that Snape would get over here as fast as he could. He heard a muffled bang and realized that his spell had worked - the explosion had been contained. For a split second he felt proud until a tiny crack appeared in the bubble before him. "Oh, bugger this," he groaned. A second explosion rocked everyone back off their feet and chairs.

Draco looked up from the floor, eyes wide at the sight of Blaise, surrounded in flames and half of the classroom knocked out cold. From behind Blaise, Hermione watched in horror as the flames licked around Blaise's body and smoke filled the room. The half of the class that wasn't unconscious scrambled for the relative safety of the hallway.

Snape's shout of, "Demadescere totalis, " rebounded off the classroom walls, resulting in a sudden downpour of water. The tangled heap of Hermione's worktable continued to smolder for a few seconds before finally going out. Blaise swayed a bit on his feet, but recovered his balance. His clothes fell in charred tatters around him. The two other students had benefited from being behind him, since the magic he had used shielded them from the worst of the blast. The others, Snape would see to as soon as he was assured that the danger was past.

Draco pushed the wet mass of hair out of his eyes and watched Snape hover over the ruined workplace, presumably to survey the damage. He knew it wouldn't take him long to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and hoped that his familial status would protect him from the worst of Snape's rage. He spared a glance for Blaise, sending him a silent warning to keep his mouth shut and let him do the talking. He saw the sleeve of Blaise's now-shredded school robes fall away from Blaise's arm, revealing something he hadn't seen before. iWhat the hell is on his arm?/i Snape caught Draco staring at the boy and growled under his breath. Taking a moment to ensure that no one was watching them, he took a long step forward and placed the tip of his wand against Draco's forehead. "Obliviate."

Draco's clever eyes glazed over and became almost dreamy. Snape leaned over to his half-prone body and snapped his fingers. "Mr. Malfoy? Are you with us? You took a nasty blow to the head. If you feel like you can stand, I would appreciate it if you would fetch Madame Pomfrey to us."

Draco shook his head in a daze and saw the students lying on the floor around him. "What happened?"

"It appears that Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Granger failed to follow the potion instructions properly."

Hermione snapped out of her shock to exclaim, "I most certainly followed them to a..."

"Ms. Granger for once in your life could you please keep your huge mouth shut."

Hermione's mouth snapped shut and she fumed in silence.

Draco leaned against his desk, shaking his head to clear the foggy feeling. i What just happened? The last thing I remember is that git Longbottom being thrown out of the class. /i The memory made him smile.

"Mr. Malfoy? Do you need assistance?"

Snape's concerned face so close to his wiped the smile right off his face. "Uh... No Professor, I should be able to fetch Madame Pomfrey for you."

"Make sure that she examines you as well. We can't have a possible concussion going untreated."

"Yes sir." If he didn't get moving, there was a good chance that Snape was going to make the Mudblood walk him to the infirmary. He pushed away from the desk, grabbed his books, and headed out without even waiting for a reply.

Snape watched him leave with an assessing eye. Over the years it had been necessary to use more than his fair share of memory altering spells, but he had bnever/b used anything like Obliviate on any of his students. As soon as Draco left the room, he turned on the two remaining students.

"Obdere fores." The door slammed shut. Taking one look at Ms. Granger's face, he added, "Silentium." A barrier of sorts enveloped the three of them. The third command, "Silencio," removed any chance that the students would interrupt him with bothersome questions.

"Let me be the first to say how distasteful I found that to be. If not for your actions nothing of the sort would have been necessary." He snatched up Blaise's arm. Hermione's mouth moved in a silent question and her hand waved uselessly in an attempt to get Professor Snape's attention.

Blaise tried to resist the older man, but Snape was too strong for him. His arm was turned over and in that moment Blaise's terror reached a new level. iWhat if he's a Death Eater? My mother is in so much danger./i A fleeting thought of pulling his own wand and trying an Obliviate of his own on his Professor was quickly dismissed - he didn't have a voice to actually say the spell aloud, and having never preformed a spell of that magnitude, he had no guarantee it would work if he did. That would probably be the most foolhardy course open to him. The three of them could end up with no memory at all if it backfired.

The only option left was to let events play out as they would, although it tied his stomach in knots. He felt like he would be sick as he waited to see what Snape would do.

"I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in you. I would expect Ms. Granger to pull a stunt like that but you are Slytherin. Whatever possessed you to play the obnoxious hero?"

Blaise took a deep breath, trying to think of a way to explain without the ability to speak.

"Don't bother. You'll only end up looking as foolish as Ms. Granger."

Hermione lowered her hand slowly and her lips pursed in anger.

"There is nothing to be done now. What is done is done. Damage control is the only task left to me."

Snape reflected that young Zabini couldn't have picked a worse way to reveal himself - a revelation, he suspected, in more ways than one. He muttered, "Reparo," and Blaise's robes looked mint again. Dumbledore was going to have much more explaining to do about the mark that Blaise carried. The boy's hair had barely been singed. The simple, "iWatch out for the boy/i," and the ever so casual, "iHow is Mr. Zabini faring?/i" were no longer enough.

"Well, that takes care of any other unwanted eyes seeing your mark, Mr. Zabini. I suggest that you take better precautions, the next time you get grandiose ideas of rescuing a damsel in distress."

"I am sure that your newfound friend, Ms. Granger, will help you research a suitable glamour charm, but in the meantime you both shall report back to me for detention for the next three months." Snape paused, then added, "Oh, and Mr. Zabini? One hundred points to Slytherin for drawing your wand so quickly." Something that was almost a smile graced his face. The two of them would serve their detentions together, but he would make sure that it wasn't comfortable.

His final statement hung in the air for a second, giving Snape a moment to savor the whole sordid mess. "Finite incantatum." Snape turned to go check on the other children, leaving Blaise and Hermione at a loss for words.

center

~*~*~*~

/center

Blaise had been given a reprieve from the inevitable questions that Hermione was going to ask when Harry and Ron showed up and burst through the door. Running up to Hermione they practically shoved him out of the way to see if she was all right.

He could tell that Hermione was about as glad as he was at their appearance right now. He had a feeling that if they weren't here she would be asking him question after question about the mark. The only thing that stopped her from asking anyways was that Snape's black eyes fastened on to her for a moment with a dire promise in them. The memory of what happened to Draco when he saw the mark was still fresh in her mind. Blaise wondered why Hermione was spared the same fate as Draco and what it all meant?

He felt funny like his skin was all itchy and tight; his thoughts spinning wildly from one conclusion to the next.

Madame Pomfrey showed up and started bustling through the injured children applying salve to a few and a couple well placed, "Ennervates," and the whole class had cleared out. Harry and Ron were obviously trying to get Hermione to tell them what happened in class but she kept waving them off as she tried to fish her notes and books out of the rubble.

He was startled when a hand came down upon his shoulder and spun him around.

"Let's get a look here Mr. Zabini, Professor Snape said you were holding up fine," she fished through her medical supply basket that she kept for emergencies and came up with a small flask of pepper-up potion and pouring a small vial out she handed it to him and told him to drink up. He felt a renewed sense of vitality and gave a small smile to Madame Pomfrey. She patted his shoulder and smiled.

"That was a brave thing you did, Mr. Zabini, and I am eternally grateful! I prefer to see my students boutside/b of the infimary. That potion should keep you awake for the next twelve hours since you took the brunt of that explosion. Professor Snape was kind enough to offer to stay up with you in case you feel ill." Blaise knew that his Head of House wasn't doing this out of any sense of misguided kindness and stifled a groan, "You seem fine as a fiddle but you never know with these things. I want you to come see me straight away in the morning and you can be excused from your classes."

The next twelve hours passed in a blur, his mother and step-father arrived and they were all ushered in to see Dumbledore. At the end of the night everything had been settled and Blaise and his parents had joined the Order.

The pepper up potion had done wonders but he could feel the effects starting to wear off; all that he wanted to do was sleep. His parents took him to his morning appointment with Madame Pomfrey where he was pronounced to be fine. Madame Pomfrey gave him another pat of approval and thanked him again for his quick thinking. All of this false praise was getting on his nerves, if it hadn't been Hermione there was a good chance that he would have done nothing. Joining the Order had made him feel a little bit better about it but he really wasn't sure what actual help he would be outside of spectacularly testing out the new mark. After saying goodbye to his parents Blaise snuck up to his room while the other students were at class and was asleep within moments.

center

~*~*~*~

/center

Hermione was in a state. Harry and Ron wouldn't leave her alone until she told them what had happened in potions, and even though she hadn't liked the look that Snape has given her, she finally caved in and told them when they were alone. Their immediate reaction was to go ballistic when they heard what Draco had done. Their anger turned to laughter when they found out what Snape had done to Draco. That had brought on questions that Hermione didn't know the answers to such as what was the mark on Blaise's arm and why had he even tried to help her anyways?

There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to find out what was going on. She had detention with Blaise for three months there would be plenty of opportunities to talk uninterrupted. With that thought she settled back into her normal routine and pulled out her slightly charred potion notes.

center

~*~*~*~

/center

Detention wasn't going the way that Blaise planned he had wanted to explain that he had nothing to do with what Draco's attempted sabotage. Instead all he saw of her was the back of her head as she wrote out the full report of sneezeweed and all of its various properties. Snape was really slipping if he thought that would be punishment for her.

He scrubbed out another cauldron angrier than he had been in a long time. It was completely unfair that they served detention while Draco, who was the cause of this, was allowed to get off scott-free. A small part of him thought that having your memory tampered with was punishment enough. The larger part thought that straightening things out between Hermione was more important then an ethical debate on Snape's actions.

He heard a loud sneeze and then another, he had had enough he pulled out his wand and whispered, "Scourgify cauldarus totallis." The cauldrons looked impossibly squeaky clean to have been done by hand but he had to talk to Hermione and this was the only time that they were left alone.

He walked over to the table and saw that Hermione's eyes were watering and there was a neat little pile of tissues gathered to the side. He saw her duck her head to the side when he approached the table.

"I'm sorry about all the sneezing but I think that Professor Snape thought it would be fitting to infuse the ink he provided me with sneezeweed."

Blaise's trust in Snapes subtlety sharply rose. He walked over to his personal supply cabinet and took a handful of chamomile flowers. He rubbed his hands together carefully to crumble up the flower. He removed her quill from the well and poured a small amount in the inkwell and dipped the quill rapidly to mix in the dried herb.

"That should make things better." He looked at Hermione who was staring at him with a calculating look. "What?"

"Why did you just do that?"

"Counteract the sneezeweed?"

"Not just that but... yes."

"I just wanted to help." The 'you' went unvoiced, now it was his turn to look away.

"Why?"

"You know about my parents and I right?" He felt that saying that they joined the Order aloud was a bad idea.

"Um, yes. Professor Dumbledore told us that you, um, well you know."

"Well that is something that I have felt like doing for a long time now." Though for different reasons than what drew Hermione to that side of the conflict. "I just couldn't sit by and watch what was going to happen to you." The half truth was better than blurting out that he couldn't have let anything happen to her. She would think he was mental.

"I am so glad that you decided to do something right then. I am sorry that I didn't listen to your warning."

"Don't bother yourself about it! I wouldn't have listened if Potter had said the same thing to me a few days ago."

"I am really thankful though." Hermione's soft smile made everything worth it to him.

"You realize that we won't be able to talk like this in class?" Her question threw a bucket of cold water on him and the reality of the situation settled in.

"Yes, I figured as much. With our houses being what they are."

"Well that doesn't mean that we have to be like that in here."

"Which is good because I do want to be able to talk to you." Blaise cursed himself for being so obvious.

"Good then we are agreed." Hermione's smile brightened even more. "I have some more questions for you about the... you know."

The hours flew by.

center

~*~*~*~

/center

As each month went by Hermione became even more of an enigma for him, a puzzle that he was determined to figure out. She was fiercely protective of, "her boys," as she liked to call them. As far as Blaise could tell, Harry and Ron really did nothing to deserve that kind of devotion. The majority of the time they were either taking the mickey out of her for actually opening a book, milking her for answers in class, or ignoring her in favor of talking Quidditch.

She wouldn't appreciate his observations, so he kept them to himself, and managed to be somewhat civil to both Harry and Ron.

All of it was for her.

The moments that they spent quietly in detention were the highlight of his existence. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that Hermione felt that same way as he did. But, there were moments that he thought he saw he cast an interested look in his direction.

'It could be because I possess a brain.' The thought wasn't that ridiculous to contemplate. She didn't have anyone else remotely interested in the same things that she was, and if they even feigned interest for politeness sake they be out of their league within minutes.

Blaise enjoyed trying to keep up with her. They had scoured the library for various glamours to try and conceal the mark on his arm. So far all of them had failed.

The mark was resistant to all types of flimsy glamours.

The door banged open and she trudged in carrying her usual bulging knapsack of books.

Blaise suspected that Hermione had even swallowed her pride and asked Lavender for advice, if her appearance was something to judge from. Much like the night of the Yule Ball he sat there completely gobsmacked.

She took one look in his direction and held her hand up to forestall any comments, "Don't. Even. Say. It."

The force that she shook her head made the fall of her hair glint and shine. It was so smooth and sleek. Blaise shut his mouth and affected a more blasé look.

"Hmmm, something looks different? New knapsack?"

His teasing manner seemed to calm her down a bit and gave him a wry smile. "Yes, that's it. I haven't spent the whole morning poked and prodded by those two lunatic roommates of mine."

She yanked open her bag and pulled out a pile of, iWitch Weekley's/i, she shot him a warning glance, "Don't laugh, or I'll be forced to hex you."

Blaise didn't think that her hexes would have as much of an effect on him as they would have in the past but he wasn't about to find out. She knew some pretty unique hexes. The sight of her indignantly holding the pile of trashy magazines made the corners of his lips twitch.

"Right, I don't want to annoy a witch with the cure for the 'monthly curse'."

Horrified, Hermione, looked at the cover of the magazine that was facing him. He laughed at that, unable to contain himself any longer. His laughter bounced off the stone walls of the Potions classroom.

"Oh, you git!" She laughed and threw a magazine at his head. "You shouldn't tease me like that, I may be holding the glamour you are looking for, right in this magazine."

"In, iWitch Weekley/i? Doubtful, that!" He scoffed.

"Hush! We've been through the whole glamour section of the library and we haven't been able to come up with anything for you."

He nodded and pulled out the chair next to him for her to sit down in. She dropped down next to him, the unique smell of lavender hit him full force. He chuckled a little more.

"Well, I better dive right into research then, after all, you went through pure torture just to get this treasure trove of information!"

She elbowed him hard, "Laugh all you want but if their glamours can manage strongmy/strong hair they have to be rather strong."

He reached up and tugged a silky smooth strand, "I happen to like your normal hair."

Hermione colored, "You do? It's so, so wild." She hurried on, obviously embarrassed, "It's quite unmanageable."

Blaise leaned forward and tucked the strand behind her ear, "It suits you. Wild, free and with a mind of its own."

Hermione blushed beet red, "Oh, Blaise, you don't have to say that. I won't iactually/i hex you." She smiled and looked at him shyly.

His golden eyes gazed into hers. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers gently, putting all he wanted to say to her into that kiss and letting her know exactly how much he cared for her.

The hand caressing her cheek trembled as he waited for some sign to continue or if she wanted him to stop. He inched back a little bit and waited as her eyes slowly opened filled with wonder and excitement and the possibility she liked him, just a little bit, too?

"That was something that I have been wanted to do for months." All of his carefully, crafted plans crumbled to dust in that moment, but he couldn't find it in him to care right now. He waited, exposed to her in a way that he hadn't planned on.

She brought her hand up to the side of his face and pulled him closer, "I guess you do like me wild." She leaned closer and kissed him for all that she was worth.

His heart sang triumphantly, she was his, for the moment. And in that moment it seemed fitting that they were here surrounded by the classroom that had brought them together.

Tomorrow would bring what it would, at least, he was guaranteed to serve more detention with her. He'd find a way to keep her happy, with that thought he really let go and live in the moment.


End file.
